SDCC 08: Mark Millar's Ultimate Story

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The acclaimed writer discusses his return to the Ultimate Universe and his giant piles of Hollywood money.

By Richard George & Jesse Schedeen

Yesterday we published news story announcing that Mark Millar will be returning to the Ultimate Universe in the near future. It didn't say when, or on what series, just that it's happening. We told you to stay tuned for an interview with Millar in the coming days. Lucky for you, you didn't have long to wait.

We chatted with Millar for a while about his plans for this upcoming Ultimate project. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to reveal much more than what was announced at SDCC. Still, he left us plenty interested in what may be coming for the Ultimate line. Millar also discusses the success of the movie Wanted, an adaptation of his 2003 comic, as well as the upcoming adaptation of Kick-Ass.

And don't worry, Ultimate fans. As soon as Millar is allowed to say more, you can bet we'll drag him back for Round 2.

IGN Comics: Marvel just announced you're returning to the Ultimate Universe. Can you give us an idea - or clues - as to what title or titles you might be slated to work on? Will you be returning to titles you've already been involved with?

Mark Millar: All I can say is that it's mega. It's not an existing title, but it's going to be the Daddy Book of the Ultimate Universe. You'll know what I mean when you hear the details, but I only wanted to come and do more Ultimate work if it was something bigger and better than what we'd done before. I co-created The Ultimates, Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four, but this will crush those books like fleas.

IGN Comics: Can you give us an idea when you'll be returning? Are these plans post-Ultimatum? If so, how long after the event will it be before your work debuts?

Millar: I've started writing the book already and it's a big, big commitment. I'm flying to New York this week to discuss details with Marvel, but we'd like to launch this off Ultimatum and I'm pushing for eighteen issues a year. The artist that's been lined up is probably the biggest, most commercial artist in the business at the moment. I had no idea he was even available so that, naturally, was a big factor in me doing this too.

Is Millar returning to write these guys?

IGN Comics: It's really no secret that the Ultimate Universe has lost some of its hype, particularly compared to the first few years of the brand's existence. In your opinion, what will it take to get that buzz back? Is it simply creating bigger storylines or more events? Is it more collaboration between the writers and artists?

Millar: I think we were very lucky when the Ultimate line launched in the sense that sales on the regular Marvel U books were quite low. There was a feeling that the books weren't attracting new readers and so by simply updating the idea and starting continuity afresh we were able to bring a whole new audience in. As Brian and I moved from the Ultimate Universe (where we worked almost full time), we pretty much ultimatized the entire Marvel U. If you look at those books now, you see a militarized Avengers and subsidiary groups, Spidey as a young single guy again, the X-Men being public and so on. Marvel didn't plan this. It just kind of happened and attention shifted from the books we had done in the Ultimate U to the work, like Avengers and Civil War, we were doing in the regular Marvel Universe.

But I have a pretty keen instinct when it comes to this stuff and I just kind of sense things shifting back towards the Ultimate Universe itself. To me, that's where the really radical stuff is generated and I have books filled with stuff I want to do there. There's a lot of unfinished business and the plan we're putting together is very radical, very modern and very exciting. To me the Ultimate line is where the 21st century Marvel stories should be happening and that's what I want to do next year.